Adjustable refill extension



Aug. 20, 1957 F. J. STOEBERL ADJUSTABLE REFILL x'rsusibu Filed April 15, 1955 IN VEN TOR.

2,803,219 Patented Aug. 20, 1957 ire ADJEUTABLE REFTLL EXTENSION Frank J. fitoeiierl, Chicago, TEL, assignor to Dur-fiddm Pencil Company, Melrose Park, Iii, a corporatron Delaware Application April 15, 1955, Serial No. %,655

8 Claims. (Cl. 120--42.4)

This invention relates to a new and improved adjustable construction of replacement cartridges for ball point pens or the like.

Ball point pens are now commercially manufactured in a substantial range of different lengths which, in many cases, require different lengths of refills or replacement ink cartridges. Such cartridges are generally standardized as to diameter, but vary in length. Most ball point writing instruments are provided with means for retracting the ball point for carrying, and the ball point is an integral part of the ink cartridge unit. Such retracting mechanisms, in order to function properly to project and retract the writing point, require an ink cartridge which is of a length determined by the length of the housing and the location in the housing of the projecting and retracting mechanism. They will not function with a cartridge other than one closely approximating the length for which the mechanism is designed.

Because of the large number of makes and models on the market, which may vary to a lesser or greater degree in cartridge lengths, it becomes quite a problem for a manufacturer or dealer to provide refill cartridges of all lengths now in demand. An attempt has been made to take care of the demand by providing refills as long as the greatest length which may be required with the intention that the refill may be cut or broken on marked lines to reduce its length as desired. Since the refill is filled with ink, cutting or breaking it may be a somewhat messy job. Also, breaking even on marked lines may so distort the tube as to prevent effective feed of ink. in order for the ink to feed, it is necessary that the top of the ink column be exposed to atmospheric pressure. This may be prevented by bending or compressing the relatively thin tube in breaking or cutting it to shorten it. Other constructions provide short plugs to be inserted into the top of the tube. A wide variety of lengths may be required and the necessity for exposing the upper end of the ink column to atmospheric pressure also presents difficulties.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved adjustable refill cartridge for writing instruments and particularly to provide such a refill for ball point pens or the like.

It is also an object to provide a construction of this character which comprises an adjustable member to be connected to a refill itself to provide an effective elongation of the refill for operational purposes.

It is a further object to provide such a construction which is capable of close adjustment without the use of special tools or equipment. I

It is an additional object to provide a construction which is simple in design and adapted for commercial production and use.

Qther and further objects will appear as the description proceeds.

I have shown certain preferred embodiments of my invention in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a longitudinal section through a ball point pen with the improved device applied thereto;

Figure 2 is a cross section, on an enlarged scale, taken on line 22 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a plan view of one form of the adjustable member and the end of an associated ink holding cartridge;

Figure 4 is a plan view of another form of adjustable member, partly broken away, applied to the ink holding cartridge;

Figure 5 is a transverse section taken on line 5-5 of Figure 4;

Figure 6 is a fragmentary view of a modified form of ink holding cartridge;

Figure 7 is a fragmentary cross section of a modified form of ball point pen including the ink holding cartridge of Figure 6 and the adjustable member of Figure 3; and

Figure 8 is a section, on an enlarged scale, taken on line 8-8 of Figure 7.

The invention is shown as used in a commercial type of a ball point pen in Figure l. The pen shown comprises a housing including a barrel 11 into which is threaded the point section 13. The upper end of the barrel ll has fitted therein a closure and operating assembly including a reduced portion 15 which extends into the upper end of the barrel. The-outer portion of this assembly comprises two lateral portions 17' between which is fitted an operating cam member 19. This member 19 is rotatable on a transverse pivot pin 21 so as to bring either of the lateral cam surfaces 23 into contact with the end of the adjustable extension member 25. With the parts in the position shown in Figure 1, the central cam 27 engages the upper end of the member 25 and this cam is located more closely adjacent the pivot pin 21 than the cams 23. The ink tube 29 carries, at its lower end, the ball point writing'sectio-n 31.

The ink tube 29 is provided with an intermediate deformed portion 33 against which the upper end of the spring 35 thrusts. The lower end of the spring 35 engages the bottom 37 of the cavity in the point section 13. In the specific form of construction shown, the ink tube 29 has a reduced upper portion 39 upon which the adjustable extension member 2-5 is fitted. This member 25 is preferably formed of spring metal, such as brass, and is formed with an interior diameter slightly less than that of the reduced upper portion 39 of the ink tube. The member 25 thus resiliently grips the portion 39 of the ink tube.

As shown, the adjustable extension member 25 is longitudinally split and is provided with a plurality of teeth ll located on opposite sides of the split. As best shown in Figure 3, these teeth 41 are offset on opposite sides of the split. This offset arrangement affords a finer adjustment of the combined length of the ink tube and extension member. As shown in Figures 1 and 2, at 43, a tooth is deformed inwardly so that it bears against the upper end of the reduced portion 39 of the ink tube. This causes the extension to be thrust against the cam surface 27 by the spring 35. This thrust is transmitted from the open end of the tube 39 through the tooth 43. Similarly, when the cam member 19 is rotated approximately degrees in either direction so as to bring either of the cam surfaces 23 against the end of the extension member 25, that member, through the inwardly deformed tooth 43, thrusts the ink tube 29 downwardly to compress the spring 35 and project the ball point end 31 beyond the housing point section 13 so that the pen is adjusted for writing.

The form of construction shown in Figure 4 differs in that instead of teeth opposite a split, the extension member 45 is provided with a plurality of uniformly spaced transverse slots 47 which leave between them the narrow deformable portions 49 of the member 45. The member 45 may be a solid tube or may be split longitudinally so as to make a spring engagement with the upper end 39 of the ink tube. As shown at 51 in Figures 4 and 5, one of'the transverse sections 49 is deformed inwardly so that its lower edge bears on the upper end of the portion 39 of the ink tube. It will be apparent that this construction will operate in the same way as the construction shown in Figures 1 and 2.

A further modification is shown in Figures 6 to 8. The ink tube 53 has a reduced upper portion 55 which has a further short necked-down section 57. This type of tube is particularly adapted for use in pen constructions where the ink tube and ball point are positively moved in both directions rather than being moved in the inward direction by a spring. One such type of construction is shown in Figure'7 in which the pen barrel 61 has upper lateral portions 63 between which an operating disc 65 is pivoted on the pivot pin 67. This disc 65 has a cam slot 69 formed therein, this slot receiving the pin 71 carried by the bifurcated upper portion 73 of an operating slide 75. This slide 75 fits slidingly in an upper tubular recess 77 in the housing 61. The extension member 25 is fitted about the reduced upper portion 55 of the ink tube 53. One of the teeth 41 is depressed inwardly as indicated at 79, this tooth being located in the necked-down recess 57, which is best shown in Figure 6. Another tooth is inwardly deformed at 80 to bear against the upper end of the ink tube 53. The upper end of the extension member 25 has a push fit in the operating portion 75. The parts are shown in Figure 7 with the ink tube 55 in its upper position. It will be apparent that rotation of the cam disc 65 approximately 90 degrees in either direction will result in forcing the ink tube 55 downwardly due to the interaction of the pin 35 in the cam slot 69. This form of construction operates positively in either direction and no spring, such as spring 35 of Figure l, is necessary.

It will be understood that the constructions shown are adapted for use as refills in ball point pens requiring a wide range of lengths of ink tubes. The determination of the proper adjustment of the extension is very simple. The refill ink tube with the extension slipped on its upper end is placed beside the exhausted ink tube which is to be replaced. The extension is then slipped down on the tube until the tube plus the extension are equal in length to the tube being replaced. When this length is determined, the parts are maintained in this position by deforming the tooth or transverse portion then located closely adjacent the end of the reduced section 39 of the ink tube. When using a necked-down tube, as shown in Figure 7, a portion to be deformed will be that located adjacent the necked-down portion and another may be deformed adjacent the upper end of the tube.

It will be understood that the forms of ball point pen housings and operating mechanism shown form no part pf the present invention and that the present device may be used with a wide variety of mechanical constructions used in ball point pens or the like. It may also be used with different shapes and lengths of ink tube cartridges which may have a reduced upper portion as shown or may be standard cartridges of uniform diameter throughout their length. The forms of construction of the device itself, which are shown, are to be understood to be illustrative only as it is capable of variation to meet difiering conditions and requirements and I contemplate such modifications as come within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In combination, a ball point pen housing, an ink holding tube in said housing, means in the housing for moving the tube to project it for writing,and adjustable means for operatively connecting the tube and projecting means, said adjustable means comprising a generally tubular member telescoped with the upper end of the ink tube, said tubular member having a plurality of longitudinally spaced deformable portions, said portions when deformed serving to engage the ink tube to position the tubular member relative to the tube.

2. In combination, a ball point pen housing, an ink holding tube in said housing, means in the housing for moving the tube to project it for writing, and adjustable means for operatively connecting the tube and projecting means, said adjustable means comprising a longitudinally split tubular member fitted over the upper end of the ink tube, said tubular member having a plurality of deformable tooth portions formed along the edge of the split, said tooth portions when deformed serving to engage the upper end of the ink tube to position the tubular member with a portion thereof extending beyond the end of the ink tube.

3. In combination, a ball point pen housing, an ink holding tube in said housing, means in the housing for moving the tube to project it for writing, and adjustable means for operatively connecting the tube and projecting means, said adjustable means comprising a longitudinally split tubular metal member having a portion fitted over the upper end of the ink tube, said tubular member having a plurality of deformable tooth portions formed along the opposite edges of the longitudinal split, said opposed teeth being offset longitudinally of the member, any of said tooth portions when deformed inwardly serving to engage the upper portion of the ink tube to position the tubular member upon the ink tube with a portion of the tubular member extending beyond the upper portion of the ink tube.

4. In combination, a ball point pen housing, an ink holding tube in said housing, means in the housing for moving the tube to project it for writing, and adjustable means for operatively connecting the tube and projecting means, said adjustable means comprising a generally tubular member formed of deformable material fitted over the upper end of the ink tube, said tubular member having a plurality of transverse slots formed therein, the portions of the tube between said slots being deformable to engage the ink tube to position the tubular member relative to the tube.

5. A device for adjustably extending the length of an ink tube for ball point pens or the like, said device comprising a generally tubular member adapted to be telescoped with the upper end of an ink tube, said tubular member having a plurality of longitudinally spaced deformable portions, said portions when deformed serving to engage an ink tube to position the tubular member relative to the tube.

6. A device for adjustably extending the length of an ink tube for ball point pens or the like, said device comprising a longitudinally split tubular member adapted to be fitted over the upper end of an ink tube, said tubular member having a plurality of deformable tooth portions formed along the edge of the split, said tooth portions, when deformed inwardly, serving to engage the upper end of an ink tube to position the tubular member relative to the tube.

7. A device for adjustably extending the length of an ink tube for ball point pens or the like, said device comprising a deformable longitudinally split tubular metal member adapted to be fitted over the upper portion of an ink tube, said tubular member having a plurality of tooth portions formed along the opposite edges of the longitudinal split, said opposed teeth being offset longitudinally of the member, any of said tooth portions when deformed inwardly serving to engage an upper portion of an ink tube to position the tubular member upon said ink tube.

8. A device for adjustably extending the length of an ink tube for ball point pens or the like, said device comprising a generally tubular member formed of deformable material adapted to be fitted over the upper end of an ink tube, said tubular member having a plurality of transverse slots formed therein, the portions of said tube between said slots being deformable to engage an ink tube 2,427,068 to position the tubular member relative to said tube. 2,443,249

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 5 agggg 1,240,582 Kirsch Sept. 18, 1917 1,310,469 Boye July 23, 1919 6 Randolph Sept. 9, 1947 Jackson June 15, 1948 FOREIGN PATENTS France Oct. 25, 1950 France May 6, 1953 (1st addition to 962,297) 

